Naval Personnel.
Sketches of the Administrative History of navies: Athenian; Roman; Byzantine; Medieval; British, with special attention to the period since the Restoration, and the reforms under James II when Samuel Pepys was secretary;
French—modern navy dating from the time of Richelieu;
Spanish—a great navy without an organization before the 18th century;
Dutch—good seamen and well-fed, led by able admirals, but unorganized, and unimportant after the 17th century;
United States—the first great extra-European power on the sea;
Russian—dating from the reign of Peter the Great, when it was organized and led by foreigners.
The Balance of Navies in History: influence of sea-power—“when Napoleon fell, the navy of Great Britain was not merely the first in the world; it was the only powerful navy in existence.” Modern Rivalry between Italy and Germany (1871), United States (1890), Japan; England and the Dual Alliance—“naval scares” since 1874; British Naval Defence Act of 1889; Russia’s navy crushed (1904); new navies rivalling Great Britain and France,—Italy, Germany, United States, Japan.
Latest developments: “Dreadnoughts”; Building Programmes.
Bibliography (about 1800 words).